Alex Pines is a founding member and Vice President of Design at Vanilla, a pioneering FinTech company backed by Venrock and Insight Partners, dedicated to simplifying the complex through design for financial institutions like Vanguard. He leads the design team empowering financial innovations through thoughtful and intuitive interactive design. Before Vanilla, he co-founded the product and brand design studio, Rubric with Sam Trapkin and Justin Gilman. He worked as a graphic and interactive designer at prestigious institutions, agencies, and start-ups like the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), AppDirect, and Housing Works.

Alex is a former assistant professor of graphic design at Otis College of Art and Design, where he served as the digital fluency coordinator, helping to modernize the program's design curriculum around UX/UI and professional development. His work has been included in various design magazines, publications, and exhibitions including SLANTED, IDEA Magazine, LACMA, Communication Arts, and the New York Times. Alex studied at George Washington University's Corcoran School of Art & Design, received a BFA in Graphic Design from the Maryland Institute College of Art and MFA in Graphic Design from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). As a Korean Adoptee, he is dedicated to supporting the Korean adoptee community in Los Angeles and serves on the board of AKA Los Angeles.

With over 20 years of experience, Alex offers a unique blend of graphic and interactive design expertise and a deep understanding of entrepreneurship. This specialized mix enables him to bridge the gap between creative, business, and technological realms, from financial technology to AI, laying a distinctive foundation for innovation. His role has been crucial in bringing ideas and products to life ensuring their successful launch and impact.